House passes bill to give BOR power to pick president

The state House of Representatives approved a bill on Wednesday that gives the Board of Regents, rather than the governor, the final say on who will be the next president of the 17 campus system. There are three finalists for the job that the governor has said he wants to interview but he is waiting for the bill to pass so the regents can make the final decision.

OLR Bill Analysis

sHB 6648

AN ACT CONCERNING THE BOARD OF REGENTS FOR HIGHER EDUCATION.

SUMMARY:

This bill requires that the president of the Board of Regents for Higher Education (BOR) be appointed by the board, eliminating (1) the governor’s responsibility to appoint the president upon the board’s recommendation and (2) legislative confirmation of the appointee.

Under current law, the president serves at the governor’s pleasure, but no later than March 1 in the year following a gubernatorial election (unless reappointed). The bill instead requires the president to serve at the board’s pleasure, without a term limit. It requires BOR to establish the president’s terms and conditions of employment, prescribe his or her duties, and fix his or her compensation.